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Tuesday, 25 February 2014

Dozens
of volunteers have signed up for what could be the biggest prank in
history - aimed at causing an 'apocalypse' in the mediaRob Waugh – 4 hours ago

Rex Features - Aliens are due to appear in our skies - but are they what they seem?

The
plans have been drawn up carefully - on an April evening this year,
swarms of glowing spacecraft will begin a flight through our atmosphere -
and hover over locations around the world.

The goal is maximum
panic - and to cause an ‘apocalypse’ in the media. But the pilots of the
eerie craft are not little grey men from Alpha Centauri - but UFO fans
using drone aircraft.

Dozens of volunteers around the world have
signed up for what may be the biggest prank in history - using decades
of knowledge of ‘UFO sightings’ to time the launch perfectly.

The
‘aliens’ will be strips of LED lights, on remote-controlled multi-rotor
drone aircraft - launched at 8pm, so there are plenty of people to see
the ‘invaders’, and held at a distance where it’s difficult to see
what’s behind the glowing lights.

Nigel Watson, author of the
Haynes UFO Investigations manual found plans to “cause a wave of UFO
sightings around the world and an apocalypse-like idea in the media,” on
forums frequented by drone fans.

Watson says, “‘The Big UFO Project’ was originally scheduled to run
on April Fool’s Day, but they have changed it to 05 April 2014 so that
it will not seem like an obvious prank.Anyone who has a multirotor drone
or anything that can carry a strip of LED lights and hover is invited
to join in this event.
The plan is to launch the craft at 8pm local time for maximum impact.
This is when there are most people about to see anything in the night
sky, and by keeping the craft at a long distance they will not be able
to see what is carrying the lights.”

The 'invasion' will be a global hoax, timed carefully to cause reports of an alien attack - but the invaders will …

Discussions
about how best to pull off the invasion continue on the FPV Lab forum -
with one fan chiming in, “You sir, are insane. I LIKE IT.”

Watson
says that craft are already scheduled to launc in the USA, UK, France,
South Africa and the Netherlands but that, “More official and unofficial
people are expected to join this project on the launch date.”

Watson says that LED lights mounted on aircraft such as
multirotor drones can effectively fool people - as what they will see is
the light.
“As it is very difficult to judge the height and speed of such
objects, witnesses can think they are passing relatively close to them
and they can imagine seeing windows and the body of a larger craft
behind the light or lights.”

Watson says, “It is surprising how
easy it is to fool people into thinking they have seen a UFO, especially
if it is a light in the sky. Satellite re-entries and meteors can be
very striking and cause people to think they’ve seen a fast moving UFO
streak across the sky.

“For
example, on the night of 30 March and early morning of 31 March 1993
numerous sightings were made throughout Britain of what was variously
described as fast moving lights to a large craft resembling two
Concordes flying side by side. Sceptics claim this was a combination of a
Russian rocket booster re-entering the atmosphere and other mundane
phenomena, but ufologists assert it was genuine UFO activity.”

Until
now, though, easily controllable drones have been too expensive for
hobbyists - but Watson says he suspects that hobbyists already launch
drones as ‘UFOs’ once there are already reports in the news.

“Drone technology is getting cheaper and easily available to
people who want to carry out hoaxes like this. Though even very cheap
and simple Chinese lanterns can be used to trigger UFO sightings.This is
a relatively simple and unsophisticated operation, but it could have a
big media impact. When such incidents occur, people tend to look for
UFOs in the sky and so it could trigger further sightings.”

The
viral spread of UFO videos on YouTube could contribute to the frenzy,
Watson thinks. He says, “Only recently, in September 2013, a UFO-like
drone was flown over a baseball stadium in Canada to promote a newly
opened planetarium. Videos of it were widely distributed on the internet
before the hoax was revealed.”

For the hardcore UFO enthusiasts, though, Watson suspects
that the hoax may be an irritation - a smokescreen for the real alien
spacecraft circling our planet.

“Others might be annoyed that it
is polluting the difference between genuine UFO sightings and
misidentifications,” Watson says. “Even if the hoax is revealed, some
ufologists will state that this is a cover-up for real UFO sightings
and/or a project to get us used to the idea of UFO invasion in
preparation for full disclosure of their reality by our world
governments.”

Monday, 24 February 2014

In case anyone wonders why I have not commented on this little mystery, living in Bristol as I do, it is because Bristol has a estuary and the Severn as it winds its way through the city and toward Gloucestershire, has many local currents. Things go against the tide when caught in an eddy. And we get LOTS of wood and other debris every day.

This video clip is on a piece of wood. Why a crocodile would be in such freezing water is anyones guess. I've not noticed the duck, swan or goose populations going down. The cormorants are still diving and fishing.

Just a silly season story.

I blame Jeremy Wade. :-P

A walker claims he has captured the first video footage of the elusive
Bristol crocodile lurking in the murky waters of the River AvonSightseers have been turning out during the weekend to try to spot Bristol's crocodile in the River Avon.

Kelly Gray, a self-employed bookeeper from Bishopsworth, is convinced she saw the croc near Bedminster Bridge last week.

She
posted on Facebook at lunchtime yesterday: "Just seen lots of people
with their kids looking in river where I saw the croc. Hope they see him
too."

Mrs Gray was driving past the entrance to St Mary
Redcliffe School when she said she saw the mystery reptile which has
made headlines across the world.She said she was so stunned, she nearly crashed her car.

Police
were called out last Monday to investigate claims of a sighting by a
bus driver. The search was made public by Chief Constable Nick Gargan on
Twitter.

VIDEO: Bristol Crocodile captured on camera - or is it an al-log-ator?

By The Bristol Post | Posted: February 11, 2014Comments (10)

IS
this the proof that Bristol is playing host to a six-foot crocodile?
Tom Aditya, a Bradley Stoke town councillor, believes he has captured
the elusive Bristol crocodile on video.

He made the film while walking by the River Avon near Pill.

In
his amateur footage, an object -- not dissimilar to a log -- can be
seen moving towards the banks of the river where birds take flight,
possibly in fear.

The film, captured in October but published
exclusively by the Bristol Post for the first time today, follows two
sightings of a crocodile last week which have led to a police
investigation and city-wide speculation.Related articles Bristol
crocodile latest: sightseers turn out to spot him in River Avon The
Bristol crocodile: Exclusive interview with the reptile everyone is
talking about Second sighting of Bristol crocodile: Mum genuinely
worried about people's safety A crocodile COULD survive in Bristol's
waterways - but it might not last long

But Mr Aditya has
dismissed the idea that the object he filmed is a crocodile -- or a log
-- in favour of his own theory that our reptilian friend is an
alligator.

In the video, Mr Aditya focuses on a dark brown object drifting in the brown waters of the mouth of the Avon.

The camera is focused on the object for almost two and a half minutes.

Mr Aditya told the Bristol Post that when he first spotted the alleged reptile in October he "didn't think much of it".

But
when he read the news that Avon and Somerset police chief constable
Nick Gargan had told the public that police were searching for the
beast, he was reminded of his close encounter.

He said he has now contacted the police but they declined his offer to send the video to them.

Mr
Aditya, a management consultant who runs his own firm from Bristol and
London, said he spotted the reptile while on one of his regular walks
down the Avon to Pill.

He said: "I remember I could see its eyes
there and at first I thought it could be a seal, but then it kept moving
up the river slowly.

"I thought it was quite natural at first. I was a bit amazed, I thought 'why?'

"After that I didn't really think about it. I thought it might be naturally there.

"Then when I heard someone spotted a crocodile in Bristol, I went back to the video."

Sceptics have already dismissed various sightings of the Bristol crocodile as nothing more than a floating log.

Mr Aditya added that he had consulted his friend about the video who had offered his own conclusion.

He
said: "I have shown it to a friend in Florida and he believes that it
is a crocodile of the gharial species from the Indian subcontinent. It
is a fish-eating crocodile.

"It may have reached here through any vessel that passed through the Bristol channel."

Fears
that a crocodile was on the loose in Bristol were first triggered when
Mr Gargan tweeted last week that a bus driver had reported a sighting
from Bedminster Bridge.

Mr Gargan revealed the police had launched an investigation, but a search "found no trace" of the beast.

A
second sighting of the alleged crocodile in the Avon came from
41-year-old mother-of-three Kelly Gray, of Bishopsworth, who saw the
beast from Clarence Road on Wednesday.

Police said Mr Aditya's
call about his video had been logged, however, they added there was no
on-going investigation into the sightings. A spokesman said the police
were unable to say how many calls they have received about crocodiles
since last Monday's first sighting.

AFP/AFP/File
- File photo taken on January 28, 2013 shows a male wild leopard
pictured inside a cage at a wildlife rescue centre in Sukna after it was
caught by officials in the main city area

A
leopard sparked panic in a north Indian city when it strayed inside a
hospital, a cinema and an apartment block while evading captors, an
official said Monday.

Authorities closed schools and colleges in Meerut, 60 kilometres (37
miles) northeast of the Indian capital, after the leopard was discovered
prowling the city's streets on Sunday, a senior city official said.
"Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to track the leopard
down. We have launched a massive hunt for the beast," said additional
district magistrate S.K. Dubey.

The cat was found inside an empty ward of an army hospital on Sunday
before wildlife officers were called and managed to fire a tranquiliser
dart into it, Dubey told AFP.

"But despite that he managed to break (out through) the iron grilles
and escaped. He then sneaked into the premises of a cinema hall before
entering an apartment block. After that we lost track of the cat," he
said.
Authorities have urged the closure of markets in the city of 3.5
million until the animal, which has left six people injured, was
captured, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.

Police, soldiers and wildlife officials were trying to hunt it down
but their efforts were being hampered by large crowds keen to catch a
glimpse of the cat, PTI said.

Photos showed the beast pushing its way through a lattice wall at the
hospital as a policeman in riot helmet, stood ready to hit it with a
baton.

The leopard was also pictured leaping off a building site as people scrambled out of the way.

Last week another leopard killed a five-year-old boy in the central
state of Chhattisgarh, the latest in a string of incidents raising
concerns about depleting habitats for big cats which is forcing them
into populated areas.

Video footage from Mumbai last year showed a leopard creeping into an apartment block foyer and snatching a small dog.

A tiger on the prowl in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh since
last December is believed to have killed some ten people, and wildlife
officials are still trying to hunt it down.

Conservation group WWF called for better management of forests and
other habitats for India's leopard population, which numbered 1,150 at a
2011 census.

"Leopards are large territorial mammals, they need space to move
around. Some of their corridors are getting blocked so there is bound to
be an interface," Deepankar Ghosh of WWF-India told AFP.

"We can't put all the leopards into cages. We can't remove all the
people living near forested areas. We have to manage the situation the
best way we can."

About the tenth conversation I've heard this year re. Bigfoot and The Bigfoot Files. "My kids school was doing a project on mysteries and they were looking up info on Bigfoot and the yeti. Next day there was just UFO and ghost stuff on the wall. Some parents pointed out Channel 4 had spent a huge amount on DNA proving Bigfoot and the yeti didn't exist."

I even heard kids playing and one said he used his Chewbacca action figure as a Bigfoot. The others laughed and one said loudly "They proved on TV they ain't real!"

I guess Chewbacca IS real, though?

On my Face Book I had people ask if I felt a little silly now science had proven these giant hominids did not exist?

Scientists are working to classify a new species of "whopper" giant jellyfish that has been found on an Australian beach.

The 1.5-metre (4ft 11in) specimen was found by a family in the
southern state of Tasmania, who then contacted a local marine
biologist.

Such a jellyfish has been seen in the past, but not one one so large
and not one that became beached, said Lisa Gershwin, a scientist with
the government's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

"We know about this specimen but it hasn't been classified yet, it
hasn't been named," said the scientist who has been working with
jellyfish for 20 years.

"It is so big it took our breath away.

"It's a whopper of an animal but it's not life-threatening, although it does sting."

The unclassified species is related to the lion's mane jellyfish, the largest known species of the marine animal in the world.

Ms Gershwin said there had been a huge jellyfish bloom in Tasmanian waters over the past month.
CSIRO scientists now have enough pictures and samples to begin a proper analysis and give the creature a name.

Despite this, much remains unknown, including how it eats and breeds, and its habitat.

"It's so big but we know nothing about it," said Ms Gershwin. "It
highlights again how much we still have to learn about the ocean."

The jellyfish was found by the Lim family on a beach south of the Tasmanian capital Hobart .
Mother Josie said: "It blew our minds away.

"It's not really jellyfish territory here and all we could do was stand back and admire it."